


The Blue In The Black

by Chloe_Hallow_Eve



Series: Black Paladin Lance [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bonding, Cuban Lance, Post-Season/Series 02 (Voltron), this is where the timeline of the story goes kind of wack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-26
Updated: 2017-02-26
Packaged: 2018-09-27 02:41:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9946898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chloe_Hallow_Eve/pseuds/Chloe_Hallow_Eve
Summary: Black looks back at how Lance and her started out, and is ever so proud of where they are now.Alternatively titled: Black Reminiscences At What Just Might Be The Worst TimeSet far in the future of Black Paladin Lance, looking back at some key events in Black's memories about her bonding time with Lance.





	

Black, in the months after Lance was announced as the new black paladin, slowly told Lance everything. She told him of her grief, of her despair, of her resolve, of her determination. She told him the struggles Shiro went through, her betrayal and hurt over Zarkon, her joy in having a family once more. She revealed her fears. She revealed her weaknesses. And she revealed Lance his own strengths to him. 

 

She also told him of her reasoning. Why she had chosen Lance. How he could ever be worthy of being the leader, the new Head of Voltron. 

 

Black had, at first, locked herself away because of her depression. She took her time in mourning the loss of Shiro, but did acknowledge that someone would have to take his place, even if just for a while. She had gazed upon Keith, seen his lack of patience and impulse control, and decided he was not ready. He needed to mature first before she accepted him as her paladin. And she had expected fully for him to do so and claim his place as the leader, as Shiro had asked. But as she watched him come into her hangar everyday, it seemed he was going in the opposite direction of leadership. He drifted from his team, put a wall up around him, and used anger as his go to resolution. He was not fit to lead. Black worried if he would never be. 

 

Black didn’t choose Allura, not because she was incapable, but because the lioness could see the strain that already coated the princess. Allura walked on cracking ground, and if she had to be the Head of Voltron on top of that, the earth under her feet might just break. She was not equipped to deal with so much stress at one time. So Black turned her away. 

 

Black worried that she would not have a paladin in time. She almost allowed Keith in, just so the universe wouldn't be in as much peral. 

 

Then, Lance walked in. Black hadn't paid him much attention at first. Blue’s paladins were usually more concerned with goofing off in the past, and Lance had shown previously that he was like that as well. She didn't expect him to be worthy. 

 

He proved her wrong. 

 

Though Lance didn't have the same gentle touch that Shiro had, he was still able to show Keith what he was doing wrong. He was able to convince the red paladin to come out of his shell a bit, and supported him when he started to doubt himself. Lance spoke of how he took care of the others over himself. How he brought everyone together like a team again, even if just for a while. He was patient, thoughtful, vigilant, and would take control. He was still immature at times, and had bounds of self-doubt, but he was the most well-equipped to be the next black paladin. 

 

It was only a matter of getting him to see it. 

 

But as the weeks went on, and Lance showed no sign of stepping up himself, Black grew more desperate. How would he lead Voltron if he didn't even try? Not only that, but in the act of taking care of everyone else, Lance had been neglecting his own needs. No one else noticed. They were all too consumed in their own confusion and distress that they didn't see how Lance was paler, thinner, less vibrant. They failed to take in the blackheads forming on his usually flawless skin, or the way he hunched his shoulders when he walked. Well, okay, Hunk had apparently noticed. Yellow had told Black that much. But the yellow paladin hadn't found a time to approach his best friend about it. And Coran probably had as well, because he seemed to know everything. And even the lions knew Lance was Coran’s favourite, second only to Allura. But he had been much too busy doing repairs on the castle to spare time for Lance.  

 

So Black decided to take matters into her own hands. She communicated her observations to Blue, who said she had been trying her best to make her paladin realize that he needed to take care of himself. But her efforts were gentle at best, a kind of lapping suggestion. Blue knew Lance wouldn’t listen to her unless she used more force, but she didn’t have the heart to do so. He was struggling so much, just barely balancing his troubles, how could she blow that stack over? 

 

So, when Lance fell and leaned against her particle barrier by accident, she took the opportunity. She usually would only open to a purposeful, commanding, and respecting touch, but Lance wasn't showing any sign of doing that within this day and age. And she had expected the initial freak-out. Black didn't think Lance would accept the switch easily. But, with the reassurance of Keith as he gave the position over easily, Lance stepped up to the challenge. 

 

Black’s feelings on their initial flight were…. amusement at best. It had been quite rocky. Both literally and figuratively, seeing as a meteor shower had hit not long after they began. But Lance tried exceptionally hard. He concentrated with everything he had and learnt what Black instructed quickly. He trusted in Black and opened his mind to her, which she filled with her whispering thoughts quickly. It wasn’t as comfortable as Shiro’s mind, to her, but it was a close second. 

 

The landing could have gone much smoother, but it would have to be a work in progress. Lance darted off to talk to the others about his new position, promising he’d take Black for a flight every two days or so to develop their skills quicker. And he did. Every two days, they grew closer, more understanding of each other, and worked much better. 

 

Black approached Lance about his problems after their first battle against the Galra together. The paladin’s weren’t able to form Voltron yet, much to everyone’s irritation, but they worked well in their individual lions enough to win the fight. It was exhilarating, finally being able to fight and win after so long of sitting in the hangar and running from trouble. Lance had the advantage of having the black paladin bayard, a thing Shiro had had to work without, and the two ‘wiped the floor with those fuzzy purple losers’, as Lance so elegantly put it. Their practice showed: they were deadly and effective, just as Black had hoped. 

 

But the fact that they couldn’t form Voltron was a problem. The team had gone through the basic exercises, both in and out of their lions, but their hard work just wasn’t paying off. Something was fundamentally wrong. Black had her suspicions on what that could be. 

 

Two days later, when Lance took her for their bi-daily flight, Black brought it to light. 

 

Lance had stiffened, grip tightening minisculely around her controls. “What about it?” he’d said with an air of forced calm. “We’ll get it soon enough.”

 

Black had grumbled her disagreement. Lance swallowed, changing tactics. 

 

“Yeah, well, maybe it’s because Keith sucks.”

 

Her incredulousness was strong enough to make Lance giggle nervously. 

 

“So, if you’re so smart, why don’t you tell me what you think it is?”

 

And so, Black did. She said that she thought they couldn’t form Voltron because Lance didn’t believe he was the leader. Because he didn’t think he was worthy of being the Head of Voltron. Because he worried that he wasn’t smart enough to give out orders that would make them win. Because Lance was putting up unconscious mental blocks between himself and the others, afraid that they would see that he wasn’t worthy as well. 

 

She wasn’t afraid of blowing Lance’s carefully constructed act away. In fact, it seemed Lance needed the harsh breeze of reality to see he was wrong. That he was worthy and smart and a leader. None of this gentle bull that hadn’t worked for so long. 

 

Black had expected for Lance to deny it, say she was just seeing things. But instead he slumped, stopping Black’s lazy flying in favour of running his hands through his hair and over his face. His mask was finally off, and Black could feel just how exhausted the boy was. Black felt a twinge when she remembered he was just that, a boy. Too young to have so much pressure put on him. But neither of them had much of a choice. 

 

Lance was silent for a moment, trying to think of the right words to say. He eventually sighed and took the leap. “It’s hard. I know that I shouldn’t be thinking these things, that you wouldn’t have chosen me if I wasn’t a good choice, but I can’t stop. And everyone else has these same thoughts in the back of their minds. I know they do. They doubt my orders, not believing it’s the best course of action. They’ll look surprised if I say something smart. They turn to Allura more than they do me when big decisions need to be made. Allura,  _ que Dios ella bendiga _ , seems to understand the best that you chose me for a reason. She tries really hard to direct the other’s questions to me, but it just doesn’t work most of the time. How am I supposed to believe in myself if everyone else doesn’t, Black?”

 

Black contemplated Lance’s words, processing for a moment, before giving Lance a gentle, comforting brush with her mind. I believe in you, she said. I know you can do it. You just need to take control, show them that I am right, if not that you are a good leader. Allura believes in you as well, and Blue has never doubted you. With us behind you, do you think you can convince the rest of them? 

 

Lance had smiled, closing his eyes briefly. “I don’t just think I can, I will. Thanks Black.”

 

She had sent him her amusement, as well as a small jab that his ego might block the way if he wasn’t careful. Lance had laughed at that, and they’d continued their flight. They’d continued to tease one another, and Black could feel herself seep into a part of Lance’s mind he had closed off to her. She had been unable to cease her tails movements long after Lance had flown her back to the hanger and gone to bed. 

 

Now, fighting tooth and nail to protect the other paladins alongside Lance, watching him sneer and jump into the throng of battle like a hurricane, with no trace of the doubt he had shown those many months ago, Black felt unchecked pride well up inside of her. Even battered, bruised, and only at half her usual fighting speed, with no victory in sight as the others flew back to the castle to open a wormhole, she couldn’t stop the joy that spread out from her quintessence when she thought of how far her paladin had come. She had been the largest contributor to his growth, and she was so glad that she could be part of Lance’s life like that. 

 

Their minds were so tightly wound at this point that Lance could feel all of that without Black meaning for him to. 

 

“C’mon,  _ cielito _ , don’t get all sappy on me now.” His voice was small and fond, despite the howling rage and permanent glare he directed towards the Galra. “We need to stay focused so we can get back to the others.  _ Sirenita  _ is getting antsy, and you know she doesn’t think straight when worried.”

 

Black couldn’t help the amused love she felt when he called both her and Blue by their Spanish nicknames. But she did return her attention to the hundreds of battleships in front of her, roaring to pump herself and her paladin up for the continuation of battle. Her and Lance took off towards the Galra. 

 

The other paladins shouted at Lance to come back, that the castle defenses would hold up long enough to escape, but everyone knew that was a lie. The castle couldn’t take another hit, and they needed at least five minutes to escape. Black and Lance had to buy them enough time. 

 

“Let’s give them hell.” 

  
Black roared in response, raking her claws through one ship while blasting another through the hull. This was all they could do. And they would do it damn well. 

**Author's Note:**

> I have changed my mind, updates will be on Sundays. That's much easier on me. Also, the timeline of the story is going to start jumping around, but it's best you read the stories the order they come out. It will add to the suspense for the grand finale. 
> 
> I am so happy with how much support I've been getting so far! Thank you all, it really means so much to me. 
> 
> See you next time~!!!


End file.
